


One Day at a Time

by marsrover2341



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: All the pta moms love seonghwa, Angst, Happy Ending, Kinda really sad at first, M/M, Mentions of alcohol, Minor Choi Jongho/Song Mingi, Minor Choi San/Jeong Yunho, Park Seonghwa is Whipped, Single Parent Kim Hongjoong, joonghwa, seongjoong, seongjoong is soft for each other, teacher/parent relationship, yunsan being the cool teachers of the school
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28988109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marsrover2341/pseuds/marsrover2341
Summary: Hongjoong is a single dad, struggling to live his life while trying to provide for his small family with just him and his daughter. Seonghwa is his daughter's teacher who is way more attractive than Hongjoong would like to admit.
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 14
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

The night was growing dark quickly as the cool, fall wind tousled his dark hair. It was the time when families began to sit around the kitchen table to eat dinner, but for Hongjoong, he still had to walk to his parents' house. His day at work was terrible and ended on a sour note. From being pushed around by his manager, to the HR being on his ass about every tiny thing he did wrong. He could never catch a break from it.

Today, however, his employer had enough of him and they let him go. Hongjoong was jobless once again.

It wasn't as if he was doing it on purpose. People just didn't like him. They told him he was a show off, said that he was being too good at his low level job and that he needed to stop making the others look bad. It wasn't 'good for the company's image' they would say.

He scoffs at the memory of early. His manager screamed his head off about how he was a smart ass and how he always talked back, which was far from the truth.

Hongjoong was always about doing the right thing and striving to be the best at what he does. The people he worked with found that too intimidating. It hurt him.

He just wanted to be appreciated and respected. Why was that so hard to find?

The familiar cliche grey siding house with the same old, worn down wrap around porch that he always knew, finally came into view. He never really missed living here. It had too many sad, childhood memories attached to it, but here he was, still walking up to the same home he knew.

The moment he reached the front door, he could hear a familiar scream followed by a high pitch laughter. It made a smile grow on his face as he opens the door. 

"Daddy!!" A small body slams itself into Hongjoong as a laugh erupts out of him, causing him to wrap his arms tightly around his favorite person.

"Princess!" This was one thing he enjoyed after a long day of work. His daughter, Mina, was his best friend and the sunshine in his dark, cloudy life. "Ready to go home, cutie?"

She quickly nods, running to grab her things. While he waited for her, his mom walked briskly over to him from her standing position on the other side of the room.

"Hey, thank you for picking up Mina again from school. They had me stay late again, but I can assure you that I won't be late again tomorrow," he says, feeling the scowl of his mother beam down on him. 

She scoffs while crossing her arms, "Really? What's the excuse this time? Or did you forget you had a daughter? It's been seven years and you can't get your act together."

"I'm trying, Mom. It's hard on my own." He says with sadness melting into his words.

She stares at him before shaking her head, "Excuses. Anyways, why did they have you stay late this time?"

Hongjoong looks down at his feet, shame rising in him. He almost didn't want to say, give her a lie so that she wouldn't berate him. "They let me go."

The only response he received from his mom was a slap on the arm. He didn't need her to say anything for him to know what that meant. 

"You know, I think it would be best if Mina lived with us. I'm tired of your terrible behavior and you not caring about Mina's well being. Hongjoong, I'm giving you a week to fix this act of yours. If you can't get it together, then Mina comes to live with us and you have no choice in the matter." She purses her lips, glare evident on her face, before she turns around to leave the front entry way. 

Once again, nothing he did was good enough. His heart felt bruised and mentally, he was extremely worn out. There was the disappointment he was always used to receiving. 

"Okay, Daddy! Let's go home!" His favorite person laughs and runs out the front door, expecting him to run after her. So, he does.

He runs over to match her running pace and the moment he reaches her, he picks her up and swings his daughter around. The sound of her laughter in the night echos in his ears. This was the moment he felt most alive. Nothing could take away the love he had for her.

"Okay, so, I need to ask you a very important question." Mina nods in response. "Were you a good girl at school today?" 

She giggles looking at her dad, Hongjoong still holding her in his arms. "I was, Daddy. I even made a friend, too! Her name is Chaeyoung and she's Mr. Sanshine and Mr. Yuyu's daughter. She's really fun!" 

"Ahh, really? I'm so proud of you for making a friend, bubs. I know it's been hard lately. Those other kids don't know what they're missing! You're the coolest girl in the whole wide world!" Hongjoong smiles widely hearing her laugh in response. He pokes her nose causing her to wrinkle it up.

"And you're the coolest boy in the whole wide world, Daddy!" She beams proudly.

Hongjoong gasps, "The coolest?!" When she nods, he lets his jaw fall open further which fueled her laughter. He loved these moments with Mina. They were the perfect distractions from his hardships and made everything worth it.

"When we get home, since it's late, we have to get ready for bed. What story do you want me to read you?" He asks as they continue their walk. 

She pulls out a face full of thought, with her eyebrows furrowing together and her lips pursing into a tiny pout. "Actually, can you sing to me tonight? I love hearing you sing."

Hongjoong lightly laughs before nodding. He would do anything to make her smile because she was his source of happiness.


	2. Chapter 2

"Joong, I'm telling you. Now's the time. You should finally pursue your dream. Mingi has been interested in working with you at his studio. What are you so afraid of?" Hongjoong was faced to face with his best friend, Jongho, at the cafe that the younger owned. 

Jongho was currently on break and Hongjoong needed to talk to the other desperately. Since he didn't have a job anymore, the older didn't have much to do until it was time to pick his daughter up from school.

"I don't know. I really should find a sustainable job. My mom keeps telling me to work at being an accountant. I've always been really good at math and organization so I might as well." He sighs, looking down at the filled, warm coffee mug in his hands. The two were sat on one of the long, cushiony sofas that occupied the almost empty cafe. There were a few other customers scattered about the place, but they were doing their own thing like reading or working on a computer. It was a pretty quiet and chill place.

Hongjoong knew he was disappointing his friend by saying what he said, but he didn't have much of a choice if he wanted to survive and still get to live with his daughter. He definitely did not want to have to live without her. Everything he did revolved around her.

Jongho makes a tsk noise with his tongue and shakes his head. "That shouldn't matter. You're an amazing artist. The lyrics you used to come up with when we were younger were incredible. This is your passion! It's something that makes you, you. Mina loves when you make songs for her! I bet she would want to see you living your dream."

Hongjoong nods, "Yeah, she would, but you and I both know I won't be able to make much of a living off that. I need to think realistically here. Besides, if I don't, I lose Mina." His heart hurts saying all that. It was his dream to go into music, but life had other plans for him.

Jongho looks at him weirdly. "What do you mean you lose Mina? She won't be disappointed in you. Just, please try with music, please?" He added some emphasis on the last word which only made the older sigh.

Hongjoong shakes his head, taking a sip of his coffee. "My mom doesn't think I'm fit to be a dad. She says I have a week to get my life together, otherwise Mina goes to live with them. So, music isn't an option."

"She can't do that!" His shout echos the sort of empty restaurant, causing the few customers to look their way. "Mina is your daughter, not hers. That old witch needs to lay off. I swear next time I see her-" Hongjoong cuts him off before he could finish what he was saying.

"She's right. I don't feel like I'm doing everything to be the kind of dad Mina deserves to have. I feel like a failure." It had been hard on him the past seven years since his ex girlfriend left him. Not that she would have been much help and not that he actually cared to have her around, but it would be nice to have someone to share the struggles with so it wasn't all on him. He just needed someone who would help him out and give him some love.

Jongho sighs, sending his friend a look filled with pity and sadness. "That's not true, Joongie. I know life has been shitting on you lately, but that's not true. You're the perfect dad for Mina. She looks at you like you put the stars in the sky. You're her hero. Did you know that the other day when I was watching her, she told me that when she grows up, she wants to be just like her dad. That's you. There's no one else who can be a better father for her than you."

Hongjoong looks up from his cup, eyes filled with wonder and hope. Even though there was still so much sadness in him, the younger was right. Mina needed him and only him. He wasn't perfect, but he needed to try for her. It was just hard that life wasn't being kind to him and sending him tough obstacles to deal with. 

"Anyways, I have to get back to work. We have a new guy starting that I have to train. I think his name was Jisung? I don't remember, but Yeosang says he looks like a squirrel." Jongho chuckles before bidding his best friend goodbye. "Think about the music thing, Joong! Mingi is always willing to work with you."

Hongjoong laughs lightly, waving him off. It was times like these where he was grateful that someone stayed around in his life. All of his friends had ditched him as soon as school was done, since his life began to revolve around Mina. Not that he really cared that they left, but it was nice the his best friend stuck around.

He quickly finished his coffee, before grabbing his coat and heading on his way to pick his daughter up.

Since he always struggled financially, he never owned a car. It wasn't something he wanted to add to the never ending list of stresses in his life. He only hoped that one day he can be stable enough financially to be able to get one so he could drive Mina wherever she wanted to go. 

Maybe then, he could even get to move their home to somewhere nice like by the water, having a beautiful view to enjoy everyday. That was a difficult goal to achieve, though, and Hongjoong knew it was wishful thinking. He still liked to dream.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time he walked up to the school, he barely had enough time to find the correct door that his daughter came out of before a swarm of students rushed from the building. 

The loud buzz of noise coming from the kids showed their excitement to finally be done with their day. The feeling was almost infectious.

It wasn't long before a small, familiar body runs up to him, screaming his name. "Hi, my little butterfly! How was school?"

She leans her head back, a bit dramatically, to look up at Hongjoong. "School was alright, but guess what, Daddy! Mr. Park played with me at recess! The girls in my class were all being mean and teasing me and said I was dumb, but then Mr. Park told them to stop. Then, they ran off laughing and I was crying- Daddy I'm sorry! I was crying. I know you said I should be a big girl, but I cried and then Mr. Park asked if I wanted to play with this cool bouncy ball he found. Mr. Park is so nice."

To find out that his daughter had someone looking out for her when he couldn't, made him feel relieved. Mina was always having a hard time fitting in and it only made Hongjoong feel worse knowing he couldn't do anything about it.

Not far from where he and her stood, Hongjoong noticed the familiar teacher walking out with some kids, waving to parents that were waiting for their children. 

He had met him many times before, but the other never failed to cause butterflies to form inside Hongjoong. 

"Daddy, can I go say goodbye to Chaeyoung real quick?" Hongjoong looks down at his daughter's pleading face. "Yeah, but be quick. You still have homework."

She quickly runs off to another direction where Hongjoong assumes is her friend. When he looks back to find the teacher, he notices that the other was already on his way over to him.

"Mr. Kim! It's great to see you here!"

Hongjoong takes note of how his heart began to beat rapidly as the attractive male approaches him with a quick, but smooth stride.

"Ahh, Mr. Park, I told you to call me Hongjoong. It makes me feel old being called that." Hongjoong feels a blush rise to his face.

"Then call me Seonghwa," he sends the younger a smile.

"Well, uhm, Seonghwa," the teacher smiles, as Hongjoong continues with what he's saying. "I wanted to thank you for helping Mina out today. She has trouble making friends and spends recess alone a lot. It was really nice of you to do that for her."

Seonghwa sends him a pity smile, "I've noticed. She's one of my favorite students and I hate seeing her sad, so I try to do something about it. I help as much as I can with the kids. I teach them about how wrong bullying is and I try to correct their behavior if they get too mean to the others. Some of them don't understand that other kids have feelings and they're easy to hurt."

"Thank you. I really appreciate you doing that," Hongjoong tells him, honesty thick in his words. 

"It's not a problem!" Seonghwa smiles. "Mina deserves to be surrounded by love and support. Wouldn't want to let her, or her cute dad, down! Anyways, I have to go say bye to some other parents. See you around, Hongjoong!"

With that, Seonghwa walks away, Hongjoong catching the tall end of a soft smirk forming on the teacher's face. 

That was when he knew, picking up his daughter from school was definitely his new favorite thing. 

"Daddy! Let's go home now! Chaeyoung has to go to dance practice. Daddy, can I do dance? I wanna go with Chaeyoung." Her little hand fills into his larger one as she continues to talk his ear off about what happened at school. 

He felt bad that he wasn't paying attention to what she was saying, but all he could think about was the interaction he had with Seonghwa earlier.

The way his eyes twinkled like they held the galaxy. The way he sympathized with Hongjoong's emotions and making him feel like his words were valid. The way he called him cute at the end. The way his smile was brighter than the stars in a night sky. 

Hongjoong was in deep. It scared him, though. He had never felt this way about anyone in a really long time. Maybe it was time to try something new.


	4. Chapter 4

To say Seonghwa was ecstatic was an understatement. Hongjoong was one of the main reasons he loved going outside to dismiss the kids. Getting to see the other male, even from afar, always made him bubbly inside. He was always so in awe at how someone could be that beautiful. 

This time he finally got to talk to him. The moment Seonghwa heard the other's voice, he knew it was over for himself. It melted his insides with every word he spoke. He knew the other male was nervous, but he couldn't help finding it cute. 

Finally, he also had a name to put to the face, aside from just simply: Mr. Kim. His name was so beautiful to hear coming from the other's mouth. Hongjoong. Seonghwa couldn't get enough.

He was probably being utterly biased, but honestly Mina was also most definitely his favorite student. She was such a bright little kid who showed so much enthusiasm for everything and always gave love to everyone, no matter how mean they were to her. He always loved to see her dedication and motivation to learn.

Once a majority of the kids left to go home or to play on the playground, Seonghwa took his leave back into the building to where his own classroom was. Today had been a good day for him. 

He still had some papers to grade so he figured he could get them done with real quick before he had left for the day. It wasn't like he had anything to do later and his house was a lonely place. Most of the time, he spent his free time just watching movies or reading some of his favorite books. It was a quiet lifestyle, but he didn't mind it.

"Hwa! There you are!" Seonghwa sighs. He barely got five papers finished when a very loud puppy by the name of Jeong Yunho came bounding into his room. 

The taller male pulls a chair from a nearby table and sits on it backwards facing his friend. Seonghwa goes back to focusing on his papers.

"Psst," he hears, from in front of him. "Yes, Yunho? Can I help you? You may not know this, being a gym teacher, but us mundane teachers have tests to grade."

Yunho laughs at the comment, not taking the standoffish behavior to heart. "You need a break, Hwa. I actually came in here because San and I are inviting everyone over to the house. Just for a small game night or whatever it ends up being."

Seonghwa keeps staring at his paper work. He definitely did not want to go home to his lonely, quiet house, but spending time with his friend group was absolute chaos. He wanted peace and relaxation after a long day with kids, especially 7/8 year olds.

"Seonghwaaa! Please, please, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Seonghwa finally looks up to the younger male in front of him only to be met with the infamous Yunho puppy eyes. They were always too difficult to deny, especially if he included a pout in there, too.

"Fine, but I'm not responsible if anyone gets drunk out of their mind." Seonghwa always ended up being the mom of their friend group and it was exhausting. Especially, with their friend Wooyoung, who always got super emotional when drunk. He was the baby of the group so Seonghwa always felt the need to make sure he was okay.

Yunho jumps ups from his chair, fist pumping the air while making a shout of random noise. The ruckus caused Seonghwa to roll his eyes, but he was also trying his hardest to hide a peeking smile.

"Shhh! Mr. Lee next door will throw a fit again. He doesn't like you guys because of how loud you all are when you come in here." Seonghwa makes a tsk noise, but then goes to put his papers into a specific folder.

Yunho was unfazed by the reprimanding and continued his mini dance to celebrate his small victory. "Okay, our house at 7. You better be there or I'm dragging you out of your house!" 

He points his finger at the older, wiggling it in the process. Seonghwa ends up throwing a pen at the retreating teacher, but it only causes him to run out in a fit of giggles. 

It would be stupid to deny that the annoying puppy and their group of friends were something he looked forward to seeing everyday. They were his best friends and he loved them a lot. They helped brighten his dull days and made coming to work seem like not a very serious thing.

He imagined what it would be like if Hongjoong were apart of their friend group. What role would he play? What if he found the group to be too strange for his liking? That would definitely be a deal breaker, if he did find them to be too much. Except, he didn't think that Hongjoong was like that. He was different. Seonghwa could tell that the other had a sense of free spirit in him. It only made him want to get to know him more and find out what lies behind the curtain. He wanted to know what his personality was like surrounded by those he was closest to and he wanted to know all the little things that made up Kim Hongjoong.


	5. Chapter 5

Hongjoong was on his last thread of nerves. The job searching had become a headache and no one wanted his skill set. So, he was beyond frustrated with no results.

He decides, after sometime, that it was best to stop and take a break, so he texts Jongho begging for some company. To Hongjoong's luck, there wasn't much for the younger to do that day anyways.

It didn't take long for Jongho to arrive and in the time of waiting, Hongjoong was able to make them some lunch, which consisted of leftover chicken. The other would be expecting food, it was just a necessary requirement for whenever he was with Jongho. It was part of why he owned a cafe because he loved food so much.

"Aw, honey! You made me food. You shouldn't have!" Jongho sarcastically jokes as soon as he walks in.

Hongjoong rolls his eyes, before shaking his head at the younger. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You probably wouldn't stay if I didn't get you food."

"You've got that right," Jongho says, which receives him a not so serious glare. "Okay, I'm kidding, you know I would suffer without food, for you." Hongjoong hits him in the arm, but it only makes the younger laugh.

"What have you been up to all day?" Jongho asks in the midst of taking a bite of his food. 

Hongjoong simply shrugs, his response void of any enthusiasm. "Job searching."

"And how's that going?" He looks at the older, genuinely curious with what reply he will receive.

The answer that came was a simple sigh and Jongho didn't need any words from his friend to know exactly how he felt. 

"Joong, you have the opportunity right in front of you. Learn to take the risk. You won't know if you'll be successful until you try." Hongjoong knew his friend's words were the truth, but he felt he couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk having to lose his daughter.

He decides that was the end of that conversation, not wanting to add anymore frustration to his day. Besides, he was supposed to be having a break which is why he called Jongho over.

"So, how are you and Mingi doing?" He asks, clearly changing the subject. He could tell that Jongho picked up on the topic change, but the other chose not to say anything about it and went along with the new conversation.

"Mingi is Mingi. I love him, but he's so dumb. Like, the other night he woke me up just to ask me why boiling water makes pasta soft and eggs hard! Like I should know!" Jongho had a look of exasperation before finishing off his story. "I couldn't sleep after that because I had to think about it, too, so then we stayed up the rest of the time discussing it."

Hongjoong just stares at him dumbfounded, unsure of how to respond. Times like these make him realize that the two were definitely meant to be together. They shared a braincell.

"In other news, we're going on a date this weekend! He said we can go on a picnic finally," Jongho explains, joy filling inside of him. He picks up his and Hongjoong's now empty plate to put them in the sink to be washed.

"Well, that's exciting! I know you've been wanting to go on one." Jongho nods his head, a smile apparent on his face and it made the older happy to see. He only wanted the best for Jongho and Mingi was definitely that for him. 

After some time, they realized it was already time to go get Mina from school. Time seemed to escape them right under their noses.

"Wait, I think Yeosang worked today. I should go say 'hi' to him!" Jongho states while they leave his home.

"He works at the school?" Hongjoong asks.

Jongho nods, "He sometimes helps out as the Tech teacher with drones and shit. It's pretty cool, a hit with the kids."

Hongjoong found it fascinating that his friend had so many connections. He wished he was like that, too, but he was always so focused on his work that he never took the time to build relationships with the people around him.

Sometimes Hongjoong imagined himself living a different life, surrounded by so many people who loved him, didn't have anxieties breathing down his neck, living his dream job of music producer. It was all just that, a dream. It wouldn't be real, how could it? No wonder people never stuck around, his view on life was a rather dull one.

It didn't take long before they approached the small grade school. Kids were already beginning to filter out of the building, running as if bulls were chasing them. 

Joyous screams and laughter filled the open area as the two guys stood off to the side scanning for the older's daughter among the crowd.

"Daddy!" Mina shouts, which is followed by a gasp of surprise. "Uncle Hoho!"

Hongjoong bursts out laughing. He could never get used to the nickname his daughter gave his best friend. His laughter earned him a peeved look from the younger, but it only fueled his laughter a bit more.

"I'm gonna go see Yeosang. Did you want to come with or just head home? I don't mind either way and if anything, I can ask if he can drive me back to get my car." Hongjoong shakes his head to decline, about to respond saying that Mina had homework, but he feels a tug on his shirt.

"Daddy, can I go with Uncle Hoho? I wanna visit Mr. Kang!" Mina gives him the saddest puppy dog eyes she could possibly manage. Hongjoong knows he won't win this one, so he quickly agrees, saying he'll just meet them at the front of the school.

As the two leave his view, the feeling of someone's eyes on him had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He decided to ignore feeling, however, it was like a magnet pulling his eyes towards the source. 

Seonghwa stood a good distance away, a strange look on his face, but when their eyes met, the teacher's expression changed to embarrassment. It was like he wasn't expecting to be caught staring. Hongjoong blushed, but felt a bit prideful. He kind of enjoyed the attention he was getting. 

Maybe he should go say hi, he thinks to himself. He figured, they've talked a good amount of times so it shouldn't be too weird. Besides, he had some time to kill.


	6. Chapter 6

The moment the bell had rung for end of the day dismissal, Seonghwa was relieved to be done with teaching for the day. He loved his kids, he really did, but he could only handle all thirty students for so long.

It was like herding sheep when they're running rampant, while trying to get the kids out of the school. He monitored them in the hallway, making sure no one was left behind. A lot of them gave him high fives and shouted their goodbyes to him, sending out laughter when he would return their shouts with an equally loud farewell. This moment with them made Seonghwa happy.

After a bit, he steps outside, following the tail end of the group of kids. It was a cloudy afternoon and the wind was a bit chilly, he begins to wish he brought his sweater out with him.

Scanning the crowds, a familiar head of hair catches his attention. He almost smiles, before he realizes there's another guy with Hongjoong.

It looked as if the mysterious guy had said something funny since Hongjoong was laughing at him. 

That made something feel off inside Seonghwa. Why couldn't that be him, telling Hongjoong something funny? He yearned to hear that laugh. He could bet that it was as pretty as him.

The thought of getting to hear something so wonderful made his heart beat quick. He could only imagine it to be something special. 

The male next to Hongjoong stirred a bit of annoyance in Seonghwa. Who was that? Why was he able to make him smile like that? The guy was unfairly beautiful, too. The melanin in his skin and the gummy smile he held, it was making Seonghwa mad. 

He had no reason to be mad, though. He didn't know what kind of relationship they held between them two. Hell, he didn't even know Hongjoong that well either. It was unfair, but Seonghwa had decided that he was going to change that immediately.

As if the other could hear his thoughts, Hongjoong turned and their eyes met. He hadn't even realized the unknown male walked away. Embarrassment slowly enveloped Seonghwa as he realized how long he had been staring at the other. He needs to get his act together, he thinks to himself.

He watches as Hongjoong smiles at him and walks over. Wait, he was walking to him. Okay Seonghwa, be calm. Who was he kidding? That was impossible when someone as attractive as the other was giving him any kind of attention. 

"Seonghwa, hey!"

His mouth goes dry and his eyes widen, before he calmly collects himself. "Hongjoong, it's always good to see you."

Seonghwa wants to run and hide from embarrassment. Why did he have to say it like that? 

The blush that forms across the younger's cheeks makes him feel a bit accomplished, however. Knowing that he had some effect on the male him happy.

"Where's Mina? Did she run off to play for a bit?" He asks, smile growing on his face at the thought. 

Hongjoong shakes his head. "Her Uncle Hoho took her to see his friend who works here."

"Oh? Do I know them?" He asks.

"Ah, his name is Yeosang. Works in tech or something like that."

Seonghwa's eyes widen. "You guys know Yeosangie? He's one of the few that I actually tolerate out of this staff, him and like three others."

"Ah, really? He's a good friend of ours. I don't see him often though."

A small silence forms between them, making it a bit awkward.

"So, uhm, is that guy you were with, is he your partner?" Seonghwa asks, immediately regretting doing so.

Hongjoong's face contorts into one of confusion and disgust almost as he goes to reply. "Jongho? Oh no, he's my best friend and besides, I don't think his boyfriend would appreciate that."

Relief falls onto Seonghwa as his suspicions were proven false. He has a chance after all. Only if the younger is okay with it, of course.

"Oh! My bad, I'm sorry," he replies, adding an awkward chuckle.

Hongjoong adds to the awkward laughter. "I'm single. Way too single, but I'm single."

Seonghwa watched as Hongjoong cringed at himself. He was so adorable to the older and all he could think about was kissing the pink tint on Hongjoong's blushing cheeks.

The way his eyes sparkled up at him as they interacted and how he paid attention to everything the older said made Seonghwa weak. 

A shout from afar caused them both to turn towards the distraction. The Jongho guy followed by his friend Yeosang and Mina were approaching the two. 

"You know, there's nothing wrong with being single," Seonghwa says before the others get near. "Besides, makes it easier for me." 

Hongjoong whips his head to the taller male beside him and Seonghwa sends him a wink. He knew the younger was definitely freaking out on the inside from that action and it made him feel satisfied.

"Seonghwa, I didn't know you knew Hongjoong," Yeosang says as they finally approach.

"Hi, Mr. Park! Daddy, Mr. Park told me I was a star student today!" He laughs as he watches Hongjoong bend down to be eye level with his daughter.

"Wow! I'm very proud of you, my star."

"Mina, you do so well in my class. Of course you're a star student!" Mina's eyes meet Seonghwa's and they're filled with wonder. He can't help but coo at the sight. He knows how hard she works and how badly she wants to make her dad proud. It's something she tells him almost every day in class.

"I have to get going, but I'll see you tomorrow, Mina!" The small girl waves at the teacher as a bright smile is planted on her face. 

Hongjoong immediately stands up, attempting to stabilize his balance as he does so.

"I'll, uh, see you around, Seonghwa. It was good to see you again," Hongjoong barely manages to get the words out.

That causes Seonghwa to grow a soft smile on his face. "Likewise." 

As he walks away from the group, he can faintly hear Yeosang commenting about how whipped the two were. It made Seonghwa smile and almost want to giggle out loud from how happy he was. He was definitely whipped, but he also was not about to admit that to Yeosang.


	7. Chapter 7

It was almost as if it was like a scene in a movie. It started with the abundance of calls from his mom. Hongjoong, of course, ignored the incessant ringing. He had no desire to deal with her judgement. 

Hongjoong had decided to reach out to Mingi and get more info on this potential opportunity. It was mainly to get Jongho off his back and to humor his friend for a bit. 

It was still risky waters and Hongjoong could never be so sure about it. If it were up to him and if the odds were in his favor, he would already be producing music and living his dream. He knows he would be satisfied finally and it would be everything he could ever want. Sometimes, though, life decides that he needs more hurdles to cross over.

After having an entertaining phone conversation with his potential producing partner, Hongjoong had to let the other go so he could pick up his daughter. 

Talking to Mingi made him happy about his future, made him want to actually work towards this goal. Deep down, Hongjoong craved this life path and changing his career. There was a lot riding on this risk, though.

His walk to the school was a cold one and he wished he brought a jacket. Another street crossed and he was finally approaching the familiar building. Kids were scattered across the playground and Hongjoong figures Mina was enjoying herself for a bit, as well. He hoped she wasn't upset by him being a little late.

His mind wanders to the calls he kept receiving earlier from his mom so he decides maybe he should probably check the voicemails. She was always the type to leave detailed messages and always let it be known how she found it hassle to have to leave one. 

After hearing the first couple of messages of her complaints and criticism revolving around him not having a job or being a grown adult, he rolled his eyes and goes to exit out of his voice mail. However, the last message caught his attention before he could do anything else.

Part of it was hard to hear, but there was no mistaking his daughter's voice in the background of it. He could hear his mom say something to her and then before she hung up, she made the announcement that she claimed she warned him. He couldn't believe it. 

She took her from him.

Quickly turning around and speed walking back to his house, he dials his best friend immediately.

"Jjong, pick up, pick up." No answer. The dial tone continuously became irritating in Hongjoong's ear.

"Excuse me, I'm trying to be cute with my boyfriend. What do you want?" Jongho answers after the second ring.

"Okay, didn't need to know, but that's going to have to wait. I need your help." He was out of breath as he began running back to his apartment.

"Joong, are you okay? What's going on?"

"She took her. I know she did. Can I please borrow your car or can you drive me?" His voice was beginning to waver. He didn't trust his mom.

He could hear a gasp, followed by rustling from the other end. "Okay, keep calm. Uhm, well, I'm with Mingi and we're pretty far from home so I don't think we'll make it in time. I can call Yeosang for you if you'd like? Where are you at?"

Hongjoong shakes his head, frustrated by the events occurring. "No, it's fine. I'll just walk. I don't want her to do anything drastic like take Mina a couple of towns over so I won't know where she is or something."

"I doubt she would actually do something like that," Jongho tries to reason.

"Jongho, you don't understand. She's petty and will do anything to get her way."

Hongjoong heard his friend sigh, but he knew the other was just trying to help. "I'm gonna go. I'll let you know what happens."

Jongho mumbles a reply and hangs up, leaving Hongjoong to deal with his anxiety. All he wanted was to be in the safety of his own home with his daughter. His mom was making his life a living hell and he wanted nothing more than for her to leave him alone.

After what seemed like hours, the familiar wrap around porch of his family's home came into view. As he walked up the front sidewalk, determined to get his daughter, he noticed someone in the window above the door. 

His Mina.

He smiles brightly and waves his hand in a happy greeting at her. However, the usual bright smile that graced her face was replaced with a sad scowl. His smile drops and he lets his arm fall to his side from disappointment. What happened to her?

Walking quickly up to the front door, Hongjoong knocks repeatedly before barging in on his own. He didn't care if it was being rude, he had other things to worry about.

"Mom?!"

He can hear his parents walk over to him after a moment. Their foot steps didn't sound like they were in a hurry, but they definitely were expecting him.

"Hongjoong," his mother greets with a tone laced with disappointment. 

"I'm here for my daughter." He made sure to emphasize the word 'my', not wanting to dance around the matter at hand.

His mom shrugs, "She doesn't want to see you. Made that real clear earlier when I picked her up from school since you didn't want to be on time."

He could see, in the background, a view of the stairs and Mina was sat on a step half way up. Tears glistened in her puffy, swollen eyes, and he could tell she had been crying for a while. It broke his heart at the sight, but something didn't add up.

"I wasn't really late picking her up. She had enough time to play on the playground for a bit because I know she likes to do that some days. Why did you even go pick her up, especially without my consent?" He was furious now, but he tried to remain stoic in front of his daughter. 

She clicks her tongue, "Hongjoong, I informed you of your deadline. If you did not pull your act together, then I was taking Mina. Besides, she definitely does not want to see you after today. She told me herself. Right Mina?" 

A small gasp is heard and Hongjoong's eyes catch her's immediately. When their eyes meet, she sends him an angry pout, before quickly stumbling up her way to her room.

More pain in his heart.

"What did you say to her? What did you do?! Why is she upset with me?!" His voice kept raising and at this point he was too angry to keep his temper at a minimum. He was so fed up with his mom trying to control his life and disciplining him every second she could.

"I warned you Hongjoong. Maybe now you will try to get your act together finally. You're an adult, act like it." With that she turns around to walk away, ending the conversation.

Except he wasn't done. "Mom! Are you kidding me?! You're just going to take Mina from me?! What about her school? And her dance lessons that I was having her start soon? She needs me there!"

His pleas were ignored and fell on deaf ears. He looks at his dad who stood with an almost guilty face, but seemed to not want to bother. "You should probably go, Hongjoong. This is for the best."

It was like as if someone tied strings onto his legs and moved him out of the house like a puppet. He was in a state of disbelief and sadness, not even understanding how he lost.

The cold breeze of the night lightly wraps around his jacket-less body, as it tousles the fringe of his hair over his eyes. Before beginning his long walk back, he takes one last look at the window above the front door. A familiar head that had been peaking out the curtains, quickly disappeared. He doesn't even know what he did to disappoint her.

His feet drag himself home as tear drop after tear drop fall from his eyes. Reality didn't feel real to him at the moment.


	8. Chapter 8

It was finally the end of a long, stressful week. Seonghwa was relieved for the weekend to arrive. It had been preparation week for the exams to come the following week and he was grateful they didn't have full school days for it.

Something he noticed, however, was the lack of a certain student in his class. He hadn't seen one of his favorite students nor her dad and felt the need to be concerned.

He didn't think much of it, last weekend, when Yeosang poked fun at him in front of the others because he was sulking about the absence of Hongjoong. Now that a week had gone by, Seonghwa became worried. 

He didn't want to be that person who's overly concerned, since they weren't even friends, but he also couldn't help being curious as to where the other had been. There wasn't even an announcement from the principal regarding Mina's absence.

As he gathered up his belongings to take home with him, a knock at the already open door breaks his focus.

When he looks up, he finds a somewhat distraught Yeosang standing there. "Hey, Sang. Everything alright?" He asks. His question receives a shake of the other's head.

"I need your help with something." Seonghwa nodded immediately, sensing the worry in his tone. Yeosang was normally a very care free, laid back kind of guy and to see him in this state caused Seonghwa to be alert.

"Jongho is away on a trip for work purposes and he asked for my help. Except, I don't know how much help I will be. Hongjoong isn't doing so well. Last Jongho checked, the guy was really drunk out of his mind. That's not normal for him since, ya know, Mina is around. Except that's the thing, Mina isn't around. She's gone. Jongho didn't say where she was, but my guess is that his mom had her last."

Seonghwa furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Well, isn't that good? She can keep her safe!" He didn't understand the problem at hand.

"Jongho told me that she's not a good person and tries to control Hongjoong and his life. I figured you could probably help get him to open up or something, maybe get him to get his shit together to do something? Jongho's words." Yeosang pulled his sleeves over his hands and fidgeted with the threads on the end of his sweater.

Seonghwa didn't hesitate and immediately grabbed all of his things, before pulling Yeosang to his car. 

"Where to?" He asked as soon as both were settled in the older's car. Yeosang wasted no time with delivering the location and soon enough they were on their way.

He wasn't sure why he felt he had to do this, but he knew Hongjoong was someone he wanted in his life, whether it was friendship or more. So, going to help the other was no convenience for him.

"Do you know if Mina is safe at least?" Seonghwa asks, eyes scanning the road in front of him as he drives to their destination.

"Yeah, she wouldn't hurt her. I don't know about Hongjoong, though. I don't really know how bad his relationship is with his mom, I just know that Jongho sounded scared on the phone earlier." Yeosang sighs and then rests his forehead on the cool glass, watching the scenery pass by. 

Seonghwa wanted nothing more than to make sure Hongjoong was safe, but when they pulled up to the house, he became even more nervous and almost shy. 

Yeosang quickly jumped out of the car after the older put it in park. He rolled his eyes at the fact that he didn’t even turn off the engine yet and the other was already making a bee line for the front door.

“Sang, wait for me,” Seonghwa jogs to catch up and they both find themselves planted in front of the door.

Hongjoong’s home.

Why was he so nervous? They always talked after school, but this was different, it was Hongjoong’s safe place.

With a quick and hard knock against the surface of the door, they wait. There wasn’t much sound indicating any movement from the other side at first so they assumed he either was asleep or not around. They hoped it wasn’t the latter.

“Should we try knocking again?” Seonghwa mumbles, just loud enough for the other to hear.

Before they could do anything else, the door swings open to reveal a sluggish and squinty eyed Hongjoong. Seonghwa felt pity for him.

“Oh boy, two more people to judge me. Can I just sleep now?” His words were very slurred and mumbled. He was leaning his body against the door frame for support while rubbing his eyes.

“Okay, goodnight, guys. I’m fine. Goodbye,” Hongjoong drags out the last syllable on the end of his statement. It was a strange sight to see for Seonghwa.

“Alright, Hongjoong. I think it’s time for you to go get some rest.” Seonghwa says, stepping forward to guide the younger.

“Seonghwa! When did you get here? I really missed you so much. My big, dumb mom ruined my chances to see you again,” Hongjoong pouts and it makes the other want to coo at him.

Seonghwa turns back towards his friend still standing outside the door. “Hey, Sang? How about you take my car home? I’ll stay here with him and make sure he’s safe.”

“But how will you get home then?” Yeosang asks.

Seonghwa shrugs, “Pick me up tomorrow. I’ll text you later.” 

Yeosang makes no move to argue and heads out, leaving Seonghwa to hold up a slinking Hongjoong.

“Seonghwa, you’re like the cutest ever. Can we go cuddle and watch movies and eat popcorn?” Hongjoong asks, rapidly firing off requests.

The older pulls him towards the main room and gently lays Hongjoong down on the couch.

“Wait til Mina finds out you’re here! She’s going to be so excited!” He giggles, but they cease immediately before being replaced by loud sobs.

It was hard to see him like that and it made Seonghwa want to do everything in his power to bring back the smile to his face. He sits down next to him and immediately turns on a movie to calm the other down. 

It didn’t seem to be enough, as the younger quickly wraps himself into a big cuddle against Seonghwa. He didn’t mind, though. It was cute.


End file.
